Community, Health, and Wellness Advocate

Requirements
Planner

About The Program

The Community, Health, and Wellness Advocate (CHWA) is a multi-skilled care manager who helps the patient navigate the complex maze of health and social service providers to find appropriate care. The CHWA educates patients and family members about healthy behaviors, monitors compliance with care management plans, and can accompany a patient on healthcare appointments. The advocate fosters mutual trust with a patient to develop an on-going professional relationship. Health and Wellness Advocates are required to have a wide-ranging skill set and knowledge base. Through a solid foundation in medical ethics and cultural awareness, the CHWA addresses the physical health, mental health, drug use, and social factors affecting a patient's health and wellness. The advocate must be familiar with the appropriate local, state, regional, and national agencies available to assist the patient, including familiarity with health information systems and healthcare funding.

Certificate Requirements

CS 110	Intro to Microcomputer Apps	3
BTEC 164	Legal Aspects of the Medical Office	2
BTEC 165	Cultural Awareness in Healthcare	5
BTEC 181 OR MEDA 101	Medical Terminology I OR Medical Vocabulary I	3
CDS 108	Comm & School Based Prev/Interv	4
HLTH 105	First Aid/CPR/BB Pathogen	1
AH 166	Mental Health First Aid for Adults	1

To earn a Community Health and Wellness Advocate Certificate of Completion, you must complete a minimum of 19 credits and pass each course listed in the program requirements with a C or above.

Students completing this program should acquire the following skills and abilities:

Utilize a clinical decision support tool and electronic health records to view cross-system health and social service utilization to identify care opportunities
Provide in-person client health assessments
Accompany the client to critical appointments
Engage the client in developing a health action plan
Coordinate and mobilize treating/authorizing entities as necessary to reinforce and support the client’s health action goals
Deliver culturally appropriate interventions, educational and informational materials

Revised July 2018 (Effective Fall 2018)

Advisors: Mark Gaither, (360) 442-2716, mgaither@lowercolumbia.edu
Nadine Lemmons, (360) 442-2714, nlemmons@lowercolumbia.edu

Fall Quarter			Winter Quarter			Spring Quarter			Summer Quarter
	Total:	10		Total:	9		Total:			Total:
√	Courses	Crs	√	Courses	Crs	√	Courses	Crs	√	Courses	Crs
	CS 110 (A)	3		BTEC 165 (W,Sp)	5
	BTEC 181 (A)	3		BTEC 164 (A)	2
	CDS 108 (F)	4		HLTH 105 (A)	1
				AH 166 (W)	1

This is a tentative schedule. Students may adjust the credit load according to their needs. The sequence should stay approximately as listed above even though there is some flexibility. Consult an advisor if you have any questions.

Legend:

A - Course usually offered all quarters.
F - Course usually offered Fall Quarter.
W - Course usually offered Winter Quarter.
Sp - Course usually offered Spring Quarter.
S - Course usually offered Summer Quarter.

Requirements

About The Program

The Community, Health, and Wellness Advocate (CHWA) is a multi-skilled care manager who helps the patient navigate the complex maze of health and social service providers to find appropriate care. The CHWA educates patients and family members about healthy behaviors, monitors compliance with care management plans, and can accompany a patient on healthcare appointments. The advocate fosters mutual trust with a patient to develop an on-going professional relationship. Health and Wellness Advocates are required to have a wide-ranging skill set and knowledge base. Through a solid foundation in medical ethics and cultural awareness, the CHWA addresses the physical health, mental health, drug use, and social factors affecting a patient's health and wellness. The advocate must be familiar with the appropriate local, state, regional, and national agencies available to assist the patient, including familiarity with health information systems and healthcare funding.

Certificate Requirements

CS 110	Intro to Microcomputer Apps	3
BTEC 164	Legal Aspects of the Medical Office	2
BTEC 165	Cultural Awareness in Healthcare	5
BTEC 181 OR MEDA 101	Medical Terminology I OR Medical Vocabulary I	3
CDS 108	Comm & School Based Prev/Interv	4
HLTH 105	First Aid/CPR/BB Pathogen	1
AH 166	Mental Health First Aid for Adults	1

To earn a Community Health and Wellness Advocate Certificate of Completion, you must complete a minimum of 19 credits and pass each course listed in the program requirements with a C or above.

Students completing this program should acquire the following skills and abilities:

Utilize a clinical decision support tool and electronic health records to view cross-system health and social service utilization to identify care opportunities
Provide in-person client health assessments
Accompany the client to critical appointments
Engage the client in developing a health action plan
Coordinate and mobilize treating/authorizing entities as necessary to reinforce and support the client’s health action goals
Deliver culturally appropriate interventions, educational and informational materials

Revised July 2018 (Effective Fall 2018)

Planner

Advisors: Mark Gaither, (360) 442-2716, mgaither@lowercolumbia.edu
Nadine Lemmons, (360) 442-2714, nlemmons@lowercolumbia.edu

Fall Quarter			Winter Quarter			Spring Quarter			Summer Quarter
	Total:	10		Total:	9		Total:			Total:
√	Courses	Crs	√	Courses	Crs	√	Courses	Crs	√	Courses	Crs
	CS 110 (A)	3		BTEC 165 (W,Sp)	5
	BTEC 181 (A)	3		BTEC 164 (A)	2
	CDS 108 (F)	4		HLTH 105 (A)	1
				AH 166 (W)	1

This is a tentative schedule. Students may adjust the credit load according to their needs. The sequence should stay approximately as listed above even though there is some flexibility. Consult an advisor if you have any questions.

Legend:

A - Course usually offered all quarters.
F - Course usually offered Fall Quarter.
W - Course usually offered Winter Quarter.
Sp - Course usually offered Spring Quarter.
S - Course usually offered Summer Quarter.